Time Schedule:
Jose Alaniz
C LIT 496
Seattle Campus
Offered occasionally by visitors or resident faculty. Content varies.
Class description
When does the corporeal become the political? This course will examine modern literary/representational practices surrounding death and dying across two hemispheres, with special emphasis on the role played by hegemonic forces shaping considerations of gender, class, ethnicity and nation. We will investigate the various ideological uses of the dead/dying body, focusing especially on how states, societies and other institutions of power actively determine and construct the experience of "embodiedness," of what constitutes the living, the healthy, the sick, the dead and the afterdeath. Students will gain an understanding of the socio-cultural forces which shape and enforce taboos of the dead, dying, "disabled," "ill" or otherwise "defective" body. The course will draw from fields such as psychoanalysis, folklore, visual studies, disability studies and medical anthropology for theoretical grounding, as we analyze key works by (among others) Leo Tolstoy, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Toni Morrison and Carlos Fuentes. Pre-med, nursing and social work majors are encouraged to enroll, in the hopes this will enhance opportunities for cross-disciplinary discussion of the topic. PLEASE NOTE: Some may find the course subject matter and/or imagery disturbing.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
